The Loving Ranch
by Violetbat
Summary: Sookie, Amelia and Tara go to a ranch to learn how to be a Cowgirl. Cowgirl meets Cowboy and Love comes riding into their lives. My entry for the Cowboy-up! One shot-contest. A/H, A/U, OOC.


**Eric & Sookie: Cowboy Up! One-shot Contest**

**Title: The Loving Ranch**

**Pen Name: Violetbat**

**Characters: Eric, Sookie, Amelia, Tray, ****Tara****, JB, Quinn**

**Disclaimer: I own none of the SVM characters. Charlaine Harris does.**

**Beta Goddess: Suki59**

**A/N ~ **I almost didn't make it, but glad I did. I owe this partly to Susan's efforts, my awesome and brilliant Beta. Thank you, girl. ***smooch***

My love to Cici (**Secrets4theunderground**) who is sick in hospital. Damn swine flu. I hope you recover soon. ***hugs and kisses***

Here you have it, hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! ***smiles***

O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~**T**~**h**~**e**~o~**L**~**o**~**v**~**i**~**n**~**g**~o~**R**~**a**~**n**~**c**~**h**~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O

**O~o~**S**~o~O**

Women are pathetic. We really are. Why the hell do we have to mourn about dumping useless, untrustworthy, unadventurous boyfriends? We should celebrate every damn time we do it. At least we are smart not to marry them. We should rejoice in acquiring our precious freedom back. Being single again is so liberating and we should feel good about it. But women love pity parties. They would not even exist if we didn't host them.

I was having one in my house. Yay! Not. Luckily, this one wasn't only mine. I had a co-host – Amelia. My best friend and I had just dumped the men in our lives. I, Bill. Amelia, Bob. Obviously, B men were not for us. Boring bastards. We should look at the bright side of it, though. We were just in the beginning of the Alphabet. So B's were not good for us. Fuck them. There were still a lot more letters in the alphabet that could really be worth of our time.

Okay, A and C were out of the question for me as well. Alcide and Calvin were really nice guys, but I just knew they weren't for me. Maybe I should skip D and go to Z right away. But honestly, how many Z's would I be able to find around my area? Or even in my State? Hell, even in the whole country? And seriously, did I even want a Zebadiah? No way, Jose! Shit, why was I even wasting my time thinking about alphabet males? Or males. Period.

I turned my attention to the TV screen. I had seen this old western movie more than a hundred times already. Well, to be perfectly honest, not the whole movie. The whole movie I watched like maybe two or three times. But there was a scene I must have played more than a hundred times for sure.

Damn, how I wished to be an assertive cowgirl like Sharon Stone in that scene. She enters a saloon, rescues the man she wants from the bad guys and takes him into a room. Once there she sets him against a wall and starts taking her clothes off, never taking her eyes off of his. Then she totally ravishes a very sexy, a very handcuffed and a very sinful cowboy Russell Crowe up against that same wall.

I would never forget their interaction and their dialogue. No matter how many times I saw "The Quick and the Dead," every time I heard and saw them together in that room I got goosebumps all over.

Cort (Russell Crowe): "I feel it must be God's will that I'm here..." She starts taking off her jacket and her hat. "So I... I... and I... umm..." She takes off her vest and the scarf around her neck, looking him straight in the eyes. "Oh god!" he says while she gets really close to him. "Why are you doing this to me?" he whispers to her while their lips are almost touching.

Ellen (Sharon Stone): "Because we could both be dead tomorrow." She answers him, puts his handcuffed hands over her head and traps herself in the middle of his arms. They kiss, sweetly at first and then urgently. Before long they are kissing and rubbing all over each other. He grabs her leather-clad butt and lifts her up in the air, pressing her further into him.

Goddamn, that was so fucking hot! Why couldn't I have some of that? Ever since I saw that movie for the first time, I've been dreaming of having my own cowboy. And of becoming a cowgirl. The movie was more than ten years old and neither ever happened. I didn't even know how to ride a horse nor had I been to a single rodeo in my whole life.

Yep, no rodeos, no "Yee-haw" and no "ridden hard and put up wet" for me. No riding of any sort – horses, mechanical bulls or cowboys. Even though I'd always had those fantasies.

Sighing after seeing my favorite scene for yet another time, I got up from the couch and went to get us some more food. A pity party with no high-caloric food is strictly forbidden. There was plenty of chocolate, chips, dips and some more chocolate. And yes, all the booze we could get our hands on. Beer, vodka, whiskey, tequila... and lots of Alka Seltzer, Gatorade, Powerade for the hangover in the morning. We had had a very _healthy, _extremely caloric dinner earlier with all the meat and fries we could eat. All very_ good _fast food – Amelia's contribution to the party. I supplied the salty, the sweet stuff and the booze.

When I came back into the room, the movie was just ending. Amelia had never seen that movie before and of course after seeing it she wanted to have a cowboy for herself too. Well, we sure didn't have any around our place so we might as well knock ourselves out by spending the whole night seeing a bunch of them on TV. Lucky us that we decided to have our pity party exactly on cowboy weekend on the tube.

Laughing after having christened our party as "Cowgirl PP," we waited for the commercials to end. We were looking forward to seeing "Legends of the Fall" next and gift our eyes with the sight of a very gorgeous long blond-haired cowboy. Dark-haired cowboys like Russell Crowe were beautiful, but blond ones like Brad Pitt were absolutely irresistible.

While we were waiting, we were stuffing our faces with whatever junk food we could get our hands on – never forgetting to have a full glass close at hand so we could washed it all down. Damn commercials – why did they have to be so long? If we kept on drinking waiting for the damn movie to begin, soon we would pass out on the couch.

Well, I sure was officially past the giddy state and so was Amelia by the looks of her. It seemed she had just found herself something to ride: the arm of my couch. Of course I was laughing like crazy at her silliness. Then out of nowhere, she screamed my name and I almost choked on my drink.

"Sookieee!! Oh, my god, look at that place! Just look at it!" she said, pointing excitedly at the TV screen and becoming unusually quiet, dedicating her full attention to the commercial.

I looked and listened. The commercial was about a big ranch in Wyoming where you could go spend your holidays and learn everything about being a cowboy or a cowgirl. In fact, their promise was that they could make you one in just a week. You would get a chance to go to at least one rodeo, learn the two-step, how to use a rope properly, how to ride horses, mechanical bulls and you could even participate in the day-to-day chores like feeding the cattle, mending fences, cleaning stalls and so on, if you wanted to.

I heard it all quietly and was in a daze by the end of it. Amelia was still gawking at the screen as if she was in a trance – but not for long, though. Slowly she turned to look at me and when her mouth broke into one of her wicked, devious smiles, I knew what was going through her mind. Probably because the same very thing was going through mine.

"Amelia, are we going to... umm... _ride_?!" I teased her.

"Oh yes, we most definitely are, my friend!" she said, winking at me before adding, "And maybe not just horses or mechanical bulls, Sookie girl!"

O~o~**E**~o~O

Holy hell! Her legs went on forever. My gaze started at the heels of her high-heeled silver boots, gradually traveling up along the sexy line of those shapely legs, ending at her luscious ass barely hidden beneath an extremely short denim skirt. When her dance partner twirled her, I caught a glimpse of bright red panties. Lust whomped me in the gut.

I'd been so busy checking out her ass, I hadn't seen her face. Her backside faced me – not that I was complaining – and a cheap straw cowboy hat covered her head. Her delicate, tanned arms slid around the wide shoulders of the lucky cowboy as she sashayed closer to grind her pelvis against his. She performed a shimmy-shake with her hips, while snaking her arms above her head. The movement caused her tight lace shirt to slide up, exposing the smooth curve of her lower back.

I had to withheld a groan. Nothing was sexier than that dimpled section of a woman's back above her ass. Nothing. With the exception of those unbelievably hot legs. And most definitely what was hidden under all that useless scarce fabric. Every wicked undulation of her hips resulted in the fringe on her skirt swishing across the back of her firm thighs. I'd never been jealous of a skirt before in my whole life, but I sure as hell was at that moment.

Her large baby blue eyes met mine for a moment. The come-hither smolder she aimed at me nearly knocked me off my damn bar stool. She shrieked as her dance partner lifted her up, gifting me with another glimpse of those sexy panties. Her hat fell on the floor. Lord! Was she going to bend down to pick it up? Praise the Lord! She did it!

The little blonde minx broke her partner's hold and stooped over to retrieve her hat. Red was all my eyes could see. She flashed me. Shamelessly. Eliciting a flash-hardening erection from me. When our eyes met, she licked her lips slowly and smiled seductively. Wantonly. Like she was picturing me buck-assed naked in just my damn hat. Another wave of lust heated my balls. A successive set of flashes blinded my vision. _Flash. _Red panties on her._ Flash. _Red panties off her. _Flash_. Riding hard and fast. She. On my dick. _Flash. _Coming hard and fast. Me. Inside her. _Flash. _

Snap out of it. You were ogling, gawking and drooling like a fucking horny teenager. Over a woman you knew nothing about. She was probably just one more of those buckle bunny girls. You had plenty of them already. They were only after you for one thing – what you never failed to deliver. But you had enough. Enough "ride 'em and leave 'em," as the cowboy motto goes.

She wasn't a local; I had never seen her before. But rodeos always brought a lot of outsiders to town. Their money sure was welcome – not so much their presence, but we couldn't have one without the other. I had gotten used to it. I had to since I was partly responsible for their being there. Sometimes I regretted having brought the whole rodeo craziness to our little town when my partner and I bought the ranch.

Tray and I used to travel the whole country rodeoing. Competition was what we used to live for. And we had acquired a lot of money with our wins. Tray didn't compete anymore. He got his leg seriously broken, along with a couple of ribs, while riding a bull from hell five years ago. That's when we decided to buy ourselves a ranch in a secluded place. Tray needed time to heal, but he didn't want to do his physiotherapy in a city's hospital. He said he would heal faster if he was surrounded by animals instead of people. I understood his words because I felt exactly the same. Animals seldom let you down; people did it all the time.

We bought the ranch, some cattle, horses, some sheep, and even some chickens and goats. We also bought all the medical equipment needed for Tray to do his daily exercises and we got a certified physiotherapist to come to the ranch every day to help him out, too. He recovered fairly well and he could walk and run almost normally nowdays. He could even ride a horse, but bulls were out of his life for good. Well, real ones were out, because he sometimes did ride a mechanical bull just for the fun of it – of course not at maximum speed. That one was for me. And the real bulls as well.

I still went to rodeos and won a lot of them. Bull riding, calf roping and bronc-riding were the events I always participated in. A rodeo competition in our town had just ended a couple of hours before and I won the three events. No news there. I always did. I was that good. No news there, either.

However, after each event I was having more and more of these disturbing thoughts about quitting while I was still winning and in one piece. I had the ranch and I liked working with cattle. And it sure was a full-time job to run it. I loved doing it and that was all I did whenever I wasn't competing. I loved everything about it – the animals, nature and the hard work.

After he recovered from his injuries, Tray came up with the idea of opening a business. He wanted to help other cowboys or just normal people who got hurt and needed a quiet countryside place to heal. I agreed. And in that same day, he ended up hiring his physiotherapist full-time and started spreading the word to our friends.

After a while, we had to hire more people because our healing ranch sure got popular. I never knew nature and animals could help humans so much. We built little private cabins throughout the property so our clients had their own space. More than two years had passed since we got into that business and now we even had national commercials running.

Recently, when we were supervising the building of a dozen more cabins, Tray came up with another idea to expand the business. He said that we could teach people how to be a cowboy. Or at least give them a taste of the day-to-day of a cowboy's life. At first I laughed at his crazy idea, but in the end I let him go forward with it. If he kept having more ideas, soon we would have to think about buying more land and I was fine with that.

Cattle need space. Lots of it. I liked having space while working with cattle and riding my horse. Tray and I had long ago divided our chores around the ranch. I would handle the animals. He, the people. And that was hilarious because he had always said he didn't like people around himself much.

Of course, since I was away often, I had to hire some help. JB DuRone was my foreman and he took care of things for me whenever I wasn't present. He was perfect and worth every dollar I paid him. He had also become a good friend of mine and we had shared some serious drinking together. Whenever I was competing, he would come to town with some of the guys working at the ranch to support me. And afterwards, we would go to a bar to celebrate my victories.

Tray seldom came to the rodeos, but he always came to the bars. The two of them had a lot of fun acting like they were my bodyguards. I sure needed help sometimes and they both knew that. Buckle bunnies in heat were always a very serious threat to your body. Especially in keeping your clothes on it and your _buckle_ in place!

Of course, the guys failed miserably at it and were often fending for their own clothes and buckles. Honestly, I knew they loved all the attention – at least in the beginning. It was soon becoming old news – all of it. The rodeo life with all the competitions, the occasional fights and most definitely the buckle bunnies.

I had more than my fair share of them. No more. Well... maybe just one more. The little minx dancing on the dance floor would be my last one. After tonight, no more buckle bunnies for me. But for the time being, I was willing to play one last time. If she wanted to be the hunter, I would be her prey. Or I would let her think she was, because if there ever was one word that could describe me completely, that would be _predatory_.

**O~o~**S**~o~O**

Amelia had just quit her job and luckily I was on vacation, so we were able to leave for Wyoming in less than a week. But we didn't go alone – my friend, Tara, joined us. She was really excited about our trip when I told her about it. She owned her own little clothing business and said she couldn't even remember the last time she had a vacation. I knew she had been working hard, had no love life, no caring family and basically she just deserved to have some fun, so I told her to come with us.

We drove there. It was quite a long ride, but between the three of us we made it in less than two days. It sure was an adventure for me, since I had never been much out of Louisiana. Amelia tried to convince us to go by plane but I wasn't very fond of flying, and I wasn't swimming in money either.

Amelia had a rich dad so money was never an issue for her. But she liked to earn her own living and seldom asked her dad's help. However, I knew her bank account was never empty. Her dad always provided for her, even though they didn't see each other often. She was lucky to have him. My parents were both dead and so was my grandmother. The closest relative I had left was my brother, Jason, and I didn't get much help from him. In fact, I helped him more than he ever did me.

The ranch was not hard to locate once we got into the nearest town and asked directions. We had a light early dinner in a little restaurant and were able to do some shopping before we drove to our final destination.

It was getting dark when we arrived. We got out of the car and looked around us. Everything looked amazing to me, but what captivated me the most was seeing the horses grazing. I couldn't wait to get my butt on a horse and ride like crazy through the fields with the wind blowing in my hair. I was really anxious to learn anything and everything they could possibly teach me in the next few days. I wanted to be and feel like a real cowgirl.

When I looked to the main house, I saw a very impressive male coming our way. Before he got closer to us, Amelia whispered to Tara and me that she sure wouldn't mind having private riding lessons from him. We giggled at her comment, but right then and there, I knew that she was going to make that happen. Amelia always got what she wanted.

We were greeted warmly by the owner, Tray Dawson. He was a very nice and handsome cowboy with short dark hair. Seeing the Louisiana plate on Amelia's car, he said that we must be quite tired from the long trip and told us he would see us to our cabin so we could get some rest.

Our cabin was really cozy and we loved it. It had three small beds, a bathroom, a kitchenette and a little sitting area. Tray gave us the key and told us that we could take care of the formalities in the morning. He showed us around the place and explained how everything worked. Pointing to a phone on the wall, he told us that if we needed anything we could call him any time of the day or night. He left after bidding us good night and telling us he would see us early in the morning. We were exhausted and after showering, we hit the bed and slept like rocks.

The next day we woke up early. We were really looking forward to starting our lessons. We quickly got dressed in jeans, shirts, boots and cowboy hats and left the cabin. As we walked to the main house, we spotted a group of men talking to each other. And as we got closer, we soon became aware of several pairs of eyes on us.

I didn't know about Amelia and Tara, but suddenly I felt like I was standing there with no clothes at all. Wait! Where were the other women? I looked around and didn't see any. Oh my god! Were we the only women on this ranch?

As if sensing our discomfort, Tray, who had his back to us, looked over his shoulder and saw us. He said something to the men and then walked in our direction. As soon as he reached us, he told us good morning and apologized. He said that his men were not used to seeing many young beautiful women on the ranch and that seeing three at the same time was a bit too much for them.

Amelia and Tara laughed at his veiled funny remark, which was also a compliment. I smiled and asked him if there were other women on the ranch. He said that yes, there were at least seven other women, but they were old enough to be our mothers. He also told us that we had nothing to worry about because all the men that worked for him were hardworking, decent and trustworthy.

After his words, we all felt better and accepted his invitation to go and meet the other males. Jesus Christ! They were beautiful – all six of them. Some dark-haired, others blond, but all of them strong, tanned and tall. They could be models if they wanted to, but somehow I didn't think that a cowboy was really into modeling much – not manly enough. Tray introduced us to Drake, Foster, Graham, Hugh, Ian and JB, the foreman. They were all very polite and friendly.

As soon as the introductions were over, Tray started to explain what we were going to do over the next week. We could basically do anything we wanted to, with the sole condition of never doing it alone. Ever. We could get seriously hurt if we did things without supervision. The girls and I agreed with him.

After we had our breakfast and throughout the rest of the day, we were shown the ranch. We basically observed others doing their chores so we could learn how to do them. And finally, around 3 p.m. our riding lessons began. I was looking forward to riding a horse and so were the girls. But we didn't get to ride one; we rode a bull. A mechanical one. And we had a lot of fun. I especially did because I kicked ass. It seemed I was a natural; I could ride bulls almost like a pro – or so the guys told me.

Tray had dinner with us and asked us if we wanted to go to the rodeo the next day. I said yes almost immediately. Tara said yes too, but Amelia said she preferred to stay on the ranch and ride. When I asked if he was coming with us, Tray said no and that JB and Drake would take us.

The next day, Tara and I met JB and Drake outside the main house after breakfast, and the guys took us to see our very first rodeo. We had a really good time. And even placed bets among each other as to who the winners would be in the different events. JB said that Eric would win all the events in which he was participating.

_Eric_? Who was he? After Tara voiced my question, JB said that he was his friend, the co-owner of the ranch and a professional rodeo cowboy.

Eric did win it all, but Tara and I never got to meet him. We did see him perform, and from where I was sitting, I could see he was very well-built and had his long blond hair tied in a pony tail. I wasn't able to see his face because his Stetson was hiding it – not to mention he was too far away.

At the end of the rodeo, a swarm of women blocked our chances of reaching him. JB called the women buckle bunnies, and I immediately thought that with all the hysterical screams I was hearing, Eric was going to lose much more than his buckle. Hell! I wondered how he'd come out alive. But the next minute I realized that he must be used to those sorts of things. Maybe he even enjoyed having all those women around him. JB said that we could get to meet him later at the local bar or the next day at the ranch and so we left.

Amelia did get her private riding lesson from Tray. She finally got her first ride. On a horse. Tara and I were jealous. But JB and Tray told us that we would all get to ride horses the next day. And all day if we wanted to.

After dinner, Tray asked us if we wanted to go to the local bar with him and some of the men. Amelia agreed to go if they taught us how to dance the two-step. He laughed at the request and said that we had a deal.

We went in Tray's jeep and JB and some of the other guys went in JB's truck. The bar was really old western themed. It almost looked like one of those typical saloons from the Wild West. Except in this one, there were no private rooms and no whores either. Well, there were the buckle bunnies, but I wasn't going to offend them – I meant offend the whores, of course.

Amelia and Tara started teasing me as soon as they saw the mechanical bull on the other side of the room. They wanted me to go for a ride, but I said no. I was wearing a mini skirt and there was no way I was going to ride a mechanical bull wearing that. I might as well ride it naked.

We started dancing and learned the two-step. I was having so much fun that I danced with everyone I knew from the ranch and some of their friends. That was fine. What was not fine was that I also accepted the drinks they offered me. And soon I had to go to the bathroom to cool off. The water on my face felt good, and as I was heading back to the dance floor again I was feeling reinvigorated. Then I saw him looking at me – the cowboy of every girl's dreams.

I was in _lust _at first sight.

Shit! Mesmerized by the stranger eight feet away, I tripped through the damned doorway. Embarrassment flushed my cheeks. Sucking in a ragged breath, I fought to regain my composure even as the dream cowboy leaned lazily against the bar and studied me like he owned me. Dark sensual hunger raked my body. His look was a predatory assessment, one that sent a shiver up my spine like a million dancing fingers.

My nipples tightened; sweat dampened my shirt, causing the material to cling and outline the fullness of my breasts. I braved another step, this time more in control.

Damn, but the guy was gorgeous. His dusky blue eyes glittered in the bar's low lights. He saw the way he had affected me and a hint of a grin began to tip the edges of his sensual lips. My heart skipped a beat. Through heavy lashes I scanned his imposing frame. Oh my, lord! Black Stetson hiding long blond hair, tight Wranglers wrapped around muscled thighs, boots and a package that would make any woman want to see what lay beneath all that sturdy denim.

The mere thought of unveiling him inch by tantalizing inch made me wet my lips in anticipation. At the same time a surge of liquid desire moistened the pulse beating between my thighs. The man looked good enough to eat… _all _of him.

A friend of Drake's asked me to dance and I let him lead me to the dance floor. I danced with the sweet guy, but I didn't even remember his name. I was dancing with a man, but doing it for the eyes of another. I guess my body was taken by lust as well as my mind and I was soon seducing a man with all I had for the very first time in my life. Shamelessly.

Amelia and Tara on a trip to drunken-land, interrupted my lustful performance and they started challenging me to ride the damn bull. This time they even put money on it.

"Sookie, here's my twenty," Amelia taunted me giddily.

"Here's mine," stated a very drunk Tara.

My brows furrowed. I hesitated as if considering their offers, before shaking my head again. Then Tray, JB, Drake, Foster, Graham and the guy I was dancing with joined in with their twenties. And other men I didn't know soon followed them. Shit! I was definitely going to kill Amelia and Tara when they sobered up.

Then he showed me his. Reaching into his pocket, the stranger extracted a hundred dollar bill and held it high in the air. "Here's another hundred." He paused for effect. "If my math's any good, that's $400. How about it, _Sookkieee_?"

Oh, he didn't! Yes, he did. He wanted me to ride? Well, ride I would – the bull that is. Even if I was wearing just a tiny skirt, I was still going to go for it. However, I'd much rather _ride _him than the bull. God! I was totally in _lust_!

O~o~**E**~o~O

Our eyes met, locked. I saw the fire in her eyes and I knew she had accepted the challenge even before she started walking towards the machine. An unexpected wave of desire hissed through my veins and settled in my loins. She was definitely a new challenge for me, and I would have her. I would make her mine that same night or my name was not Eric Northman.

I shifted my hips and muttered, "Down, boy," to my junior cowboy as her gaze defiantly caressed me while she circled the bull. Without breaking her fixed stare, she called to the bouncer to start. The big man nervously shifted his weight from one foot to another and glanced quickly over his shoulder towards his boss still tending bar. "You sure, lady? Have you done this before?"

Liquid blue eyes never left mine as she nodded her assurance. Quietly, in a lissome way, a long, shapely leg slipped over the bull. Her knees hugged the machine tightly like a lover between her thighs. I heard the males in the audience release a collective groan.

By the ease in which she mounted, she'd obviously done this before. It screamed from every inch of her posture. The slow tantalizing way she slid her body tight against her hand had every man in the place holding his breath, wishing he were the lucky bull beneath her. And I mean every man, including me.

With a graceful sweep, her left arm rose and the bull began to move. The man at the controls knew what he was doing as well, and the bull began a slow, sensual pace. The speed and motion of the ride was set to enhance the sultry movements of the woman's svelte body. She swayed in erotic seduction. Heavy eyelids dipped, adding to her racy performance.

Was that a wink? My hot gaze darted from the sexy woman to the man behind the controls. The bouncer returned the rapid blink, and the bull sped up a notch. With the escalation of speed, the men's vulgar comments increased as well.

"Fuck it, baby, yeah... I mean, _ride _it," one man chuckled from behind me and I suddenly felt like making him swallow his own fucking tongue.

Another man grabbed the nearest waitress and kissed the woman as if he was going to crawl down her throat. A stocky bouncer jumped to the woman's assistance. There was a small skirmish, quickly brought under control. Obviously, the heat in the bar had risen a degree or two, along with each man's animal hunger. That included my friends' and my men's, whom I could see standing on the other side of the bull.

I swallowed hard. Blood pounded in my ears as it made a mad dash to my groin, filling my balls and cock to the bursting point. The ache behind my tight-fitting jeans was hard to ignore. I wanted her. Along with that realization was a streak of red-hot need that left me both shocked and aroused.

Casual sex—a one-night stand with a stranger—was not my style anymore. No, I hadn't just ridden into town. I chose my partners carefully, sensibly, guarding my health, heart and pocketbook. Yet the proof of my desire sprang alive between my thighs. The compelling need I felt for this woman was something I had never experienced. I would have her at any cost.

The bull spun around, then back again, a movement that should have yanked her body about, but instead it exhibited her fluid mobility. The woman rode the thing as if she had been born on it. The quick, jerky movements tore the clasp from her hair sending a tawny flow of silk through the air. As the bull went into a hard spin, men rose to their feet. The release of the long tresses whipping around her brought the crowd from a soft rumble to a turbulent roar.

And then all hell broke lose and I was suddenly punching my way to get to her. I wasn't going to let any man in that room so much as touch a hair on her head. She was mine and I would save her. For me and me alone.

**O~o~**S**~o~O**

One minute I was riding a mechanical bull – and doing a damn good job of it as well as succeeding in keeping my panties hidden under my short skirt – next thing I knew, I was out of it so fast I almost didn't realize what hit me. Fighting, shouting and glass breaking were heard throughout the bar and it seemed my little performance had caused it all.

Strong arms were wrapped around me and I was being taken away from the confusion. I opened my mouth to scream but no sound came out of it as I looked into the face of my captor. Him. I tried to free myself from his electrifying touch, but the only thing I succeeded in doing was driving my own desire into the danger zone as he held me tighter. My breasts felt heavy. Lightning zapped my nipples, sending aftershocks to my pussy. Suddenly, I was so wet that my panties became drenched in seconds.

He took us to the far corner of the bar and protected me with his body until the confusion abated and the still-willing-to-fight were taken outside by the bouncers. Amazingly, the bar returned to normal again, as if nothing ever happened. Well, there was a lot of broken glass on the floor, but that was quickly taken care of by the owner. Fights must have been a usual thing around these parts, no doubt.

I tried to look around to spot Amelia, Tara or any of the men from the ranch, but apparently they were not inside the bar anymore. Placing my hand on top of the hand wrapped around my waist, I looked up to meet his eyes.

"Thank you, but you can let go of me now. I need to go find my friends," I told him.

"My pleasure," he said, and then added, "Woman, that was sure one hell of a ride. Where did you learn how to _ride..._ a bull like that?" He quirked an eyebrow, grinning mischievously.

"I guess you could say I'm a natural. What about you, cowboy? Can you _ride_?" I taunted him with an innocent look on my face.

"Do you know any cowboy that doesn't know how to ride, cowgirl?" he teased me back, still grinning.

"Unfortunately, I don't know that many cowboys, so my answer is no, I don't. But you still didn't answer my question."

"Oh, I can ride. In fact, I can _ride _anything put between my legs," he whispered, lowering his face close to mine. There was a hint of humor and invitation in his sultry grin. "How about if I show you?"

My heartbeat stuttered when the cowboy bent low, bringing our heads side by side. With a deep breath I inhaled his scent: a wild combination of masculinity and spices. A knot caught in my throat. Oh, god, was he serious? Was he inviting me to his bed? Another wave of desire dampened my panties.

Taking my hand in his, he led me close to the bull again and told me to watch. He went to talk to one of the bouncers, and soon the man was behind the controls, and my cowboy was riding the bull.

Notch after notch, he held on. He seemed indifferent to the intensity of the ride or its sudden shifts in movement. Even when the bull was pulled to a dead stop and then jerked alive again, he stayed in the saddle, as if glued in place. A couple more tricks proved unsuccessful to dump the experienced rider, and then I realized that that was what he must be – experienced.

A thunderclap of approval went through the crowd as the bull was brought to a halt. He glided off the bull like it was nothing, and approached me. And it wasn't just a walk – it was more of a bold, arrogant strut. He stopped and held my stare, grinning like a naughty little boy.

He was good… and he knew it. Would he be as good in bed?

The edges of my mouth dipped down as I wagged my head with satisfaction. "Not bad, cowboy. Not bad at all."

"I told you I could ride. And I meant it when I said I could ride_ anything_ put between my legs," he whispered to me again, provoking me, dazing my brain and accelerating my pulse.

"Including me?" I froze as the words slipped from my mouth. I literally bit my tongue, tasting the pungent flavor of blood in my mouth. Where the hell had that come from?

"_Yesss_…" His response sounded dangerously like the hiss of a rattlesnake coiled and ready to strike. "Can I give you a _ride_... home?" His eyes grew intense as he awaited my response. His hot breath brushed over my face, and all I could think about was his lips pressed to mine.

Oh Lord, what had I done? I had propositioned a cowboy, broken rule number one – keep away from strangers – and surely I would pay dearly for the mistake. This man was a heady combination of muscle, erotic charm and trouble.

"Well?" His right brow rose in question.

I looked at his long straight blond hair and could actually _feel _the cool silky strands slipping through my trembling fingers. What would it feel like to have his hair resting on my thighs as he feasted between my legs? What would it feel like to _ride _or _be ridden _by him?

Jesus fucking Christ, I was in lust alright! Lustfully lost!

O~o~**E**~o~O

The little minx arched a slim brow. "You offering to give me a _ride,_ cowboy?"

I curbed my response, _you can ride me any time, any place, as long as you want, cowgirl_, and cleared the lust from my throat. "Yeah."

"Thanks for the offer, but no. I came here with my friends and I need to find them," she told me.

"Maybe you should stay here and let them find you instead. They must have stepped outside when the whole confusion started, but I'm sure they'll return soon to look for you," I said, trying to keep her from leaving. "I know you like to dance. How about it if you show me how it's done?" I offered with the best angelic smile I could put on my face. I fucking did it; I asked her to dance with me, even though I hated to dance and couldn't stand country music.

As if on cue, the band started to play a slow tune, and with a last hesitant look around the room she nodded her head, and I took her in my arms. Dancing, her body pressed to mine, I felt like I was almost levitating. It felt good. It felt right.

Yes, this was_ good_. This was _right_.

So good and so right that it had to end. Quinn, my number one rival in the rodeo, decided to spoil the best moment I had in a long time. He poked me in the shoulder and asked if he could have a word with me. I was going to tell him to leave me alone and go to hell, but I never got to. Taking advantage of the interruption, Sookie quickly got out of my arms, said, "See you later," and vanished in the sea of people. When had it gotten so crowded? Fuck, I didn't want to lose her even before I had her.

Restraining the mad urge to beat the face of the man before me into a fucking pulp, I listened to what he had to say. As it turned out, he didn't want anything at all. Well, not anything worth my time anyway. He was drunk and just wanted to piss me off by trying to gather information about some rumors he'd heard about my wanting to quit the rodeos for good. I got so mad at him for interrupting me over such a petty thing that I almost strangled him on the spot with my bare hands. But he wasn't worth it. I told him absolutely nothing and turned to go in search of _my_ Sookie.

I wasn't going to let her just run away or let her go out of my life – not until I found out if she was what I was starting to think she was – my _one_ and _only_ cowgirl.

I didn't have to go far to find her. But I wasn't the least bit pleased with what I saw. She was dancing a fast song with another man. Not only that, she was smiling at him as if she was having a really good time with him. Fuck! No, no, no, this was not happening. She was mine and that douchebag had no right to have his hands on her. She was only mine and if she wasn't aware of that fact, I was going to have to show her just that. Properly.

I didn't barrel up and pull her off the dance floor. I watched from the shadows, planning to ambush her. If she fought, I'd drag her out of the damn bar by her hair. When had I started giving into this caveman mentality? And why was this woman bringing it out of me?

The fast song ended. Some crap with too much slide steel guitar and a mournful fiddle started. My ears threatened to bleed. I was a cowboy but I fucking hated country music. However, I wouldn't stand by and let another man hold _my_ woman. I stalked to the dance floor. The guy with his hands on Sookie leapt back.

"Get lost," I growled at him and the guy left skid marks he dashed off so fast.

"Oh... my... god! You did not just..." she started saying before I laid my hands possessively around her.

I grabbed her, plastering our bodies together and put my mouth on her ear. "The only man allowed to touch you tonight is me, cowgirl. That includes dancing. So make nice or I'll be forced to call upon my outlaw, pull out my big guns and kidnap you."

"You don't scare me, cowboy. And you most definitely don't own me, stranger," she shot at me, getting angry.

I chuckled. "Oh, cowgirl, that was the wrong thing to say." I spun us and in the process slipped my thigh between her legs. Every time I moved, I ground the hard muscle into her pussy.

She hissed, "Stop it."

"Why? You aren't scared of me, remember? You aren't scared that if I keep this up I'll make you come right here on the dance floor, are you?"

"Don't."

"You want it. Your body is quivering." I nuzzled her cheek. "I feel your nipples poking into my chest. You're excited. If I wiggled my hand into your skirt right now, would I find you wet?"

"Why are you doing this to me?" she demanded.

"Because I can. And you'll be goddamn lucky if making you come is all I do to you tonight," I whispered into her ear, seductively.

In a fit of pique, she attempted to turn her head away. I was having none of it. I forced her chin up and sealed my mouth to hers. She reacted as I expected. She fought me for five seconds and kissed me back with equal abandon after that. Throughout the kiss and the slow dance, I kept grinding my thigh into her pussy, rubbing back and forth the way I knew would surely set her off. Her sex was fire hot riding my leg. My heart pounded as hard as hers.

Before long, she clenched her shaking thighs around mine, a signal she was close to exploding. I slid my leg away, allowing my lips to cling to hers for several heartbeats before I broke my mouth free.

"Please..." she breathed, begging me for her release.

"I will let you come on one condition," I told her, my mouth returning to her ear.

"What?" she panted.

"You will follow me as soon as this song is finished. No questions asked. You'll just have to trust me when I say I won't do anything you don't want me to. Just you and me, cowgirl. Can you trust me?"

"Yesss," she moaned quietly.

"Right answer." I shoved my thigh back to where she needed it most. "Close your eyes. Feel the friction of the fabric on your clit. Is your pussy hot and throbbing? Wishing my cock was riding you instead of you riding my leg? Do you know how hard my dick is right now? You do that to me. Make me so fucking hard I can't see straight." I bit into her ear lobe and kept whispering into her ear. "Come for me. Come on me. I want you so wet and hot that you soak through your panties and leave a wet spot on my jeans." She started to come and I swallowed her cry in another hungry kiss.

As I felt the pulsing and tightening of her pussy on my thigh, I clenched my quad harder, increasing the pressure. I stroked her hair. To anyone watching, we appeared to be a couple lost in a sweet moment. She finally unlocked my leg, dropping her forehead to my chest as she tried to level her breathing.

The song ended. I led her off the dance floor, past the bar and down a deserted hallway. I checked both ways and dragged her into the men's room. It was a better bet than the always-busy ladies room. Inside, I flipped the lock.

Panic flitted through Sookie's eyes. "What..."

"Not a word." I faced her body towards the door. In no time I peeled her red panties off her and unzipped her tiny skirt. Flattening my palm on her abdomen, I followed her damp mound until my fingers met creamy wetness. Fuck she was hot! I jerked her skirt out of my way until it pooled on the floor and let two of my fingers slip inside her. "Hands above your head," I told her while I finger-fucked her and let my thumb press into her clit. She whimpered oh-so-sweetly and I lost it.

I loosened my jeans and yanked my boxers to my knees. Pressing my left hand over her pussy, I angled her pelvis and aligned my cock. Her warm, wet heat beckoned me. Shit! I almost forgot protection. As quickly as I could, I reached down and took it from a pocket in my jeans. Standing straight again, I ripped the package with my teeth and put it on over my painful erection. I flexed my hips and impaled her.

"Oh God!" she moaned at my sudden and unexpected movement.

"Fast and dirty, cowgirl." I plunged in and out, gritting my teeth against coming immediately. The incessant pleasure of fucking her was almost too much.

She whimpered while I hammered into her without pause, sweat snaking down my spine. My primal side urged me to use my teeth to mark her. On her shoulder. Her neck. So when she saw the symbol of my passion she'd remember who had the right to touch her. To pleasure her. I rotated my hand and stroked her clit with my middle finger.

"Yes. Don't stop. Faster," she begged me, brazenly.

She was so wet, keeping hold of that slippery nubbin proved difficult. I curled my fingers and pinched her clit with my knuckles, squeezing as my cock rammed into her. Blessed release teased me. My muscles tightened from the base of my neck clear down between my legs, yanking my balls up. I couldn't hold it any longer – I shot like a rocket. "Jesus fucking Christ," I groaned.

Sookie's pussy convulsed around my cock. Every rhythmic pull brought me deeper into her slick feminine heat. I couldn't stop pumping my pelvis because her climax triggered a second one for me. Holy fuck! That had never happened to me before. I let my head fall back as I rode out another set of hot pulses. My mind blanked. What I was feeling was even better than I'd imagined it. It felt so goddamn right.

Yes, this was_ better_. This was _right_.

Finally the drip-drip-drip of the faucet and the tick-tick-tick of the heater roused me. The sounds mingled with our broken breaths. I eased out and her legs buckled. I wrapped my arms around her waist, holding her upright. "I've got you." I stroked her hair, soothing her – petting her until she found her equilibrium. "You okay?"

"Um. Yeah."

As I righted my clothes, I considered apologizing to her for my obsession with needing to nail her so urgently in a bathroom of a honky-tonk. But my cowgirl didn't appear to have any regrets. God knew I didn't. I kissed the back of her head and whispered, "You need help?"

"I don't know. I just…" Her body shook. "That was... I never felt..." she uttered, righting her clothes.

"I know... same goes," I told her while I helped her zip her skirt in place.

"It freaks me the hell out. I don't even know you! Jesus, I don't even know your name?"

"Me too. And you know me now. I am Eric, Eric Northman. I'm 35 years old, I'm single, I was born in Sweden, I'm a professional rodeo cowboy and I own a ranch. Oh, and I love steaks and I hate country music. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miz Sookie." She laughed at my insanely fast introduction and then suddenly became serious.

"Eric? As in Eric who won everything there was to win today at the local rodeo? As in Eric who is Tray's friend and owns the ranch where I'm staying with my friends to learn how to ride?" she asked, frowning.

"Yes, I most surely am that Eric. So, you are currently living on my property? Now that's what I call a good surprise. And you are there to learn how to... _ride_? Oh, this is too good to be true. Come on, cowgirl. Let's go out and try to find your friends," I told her, grinning like a fool. "Oh! And starting right now, I am taking upon myself the _excruciating burden_ of teaching you all there is about _riding," _I added, making sure I breathed it into her ear so she could get the full meaning of my words.

She smiled at me without saying a single word and I curled my hands around her face, bringing her lush mouth to mine. Taking her hand I took us back to the bar area, ready to do some friend-hunting. My life just couldn't get any better and I sure was going to do my darn best to ride the wave of luck that was coming my way. Oh, yes, _ride_ I would and _ride_ she would. I, her. She, me.

"Yee-haw! Ride her, cowboy!" was the motto that came to my mind, but another one was now my new personal favorite: "Yee-haw! Ride me, cowgirl!"

**O~o~**S**~o~O**

He started to wrap his arms around me. I warned him, "Keep those hands by your side until I say otherwise."

"Okay," he said, letting his arms fall alongside his body.

I brushed my lips back and forth over the curved warmth of his, then kissed a path to his tempting neck. I kissed, licked and bit it lightly before I returned to his succulent mouth.

Eric's breathing was erratic. He licked his lips, leaving them moist and slightly parted. I darted my tongue inside, moaning at the sweet taste of mint and him. I angled his head, nibbling, licking, coaxing his tongue to play with mine. He let me do whatever I wanted, but he wasn't the eager participant I had anticipated. "Are you going to kiss me back, cowboy?"

His eyes were a stormy shade of blue. "Not if you don't let me use my hands."

"Fine. You can use..."

Then one of his hands was gripping my hair while the other one encircled my waist, pressing me to him as he smashed his mouth to mine. This was no gentle exploratory kiss. He thrust his tongue in and devoured me – tasting, sucking, – God! – biting, taking me to a whole new level of need with his hunger. Eric held nothing back. He kept kissing me harder, urging my mouth open wider, feeding me long, deep, wet kisses, touching my face, tugging my hair when I attempted to move away, stoking the fire higher until I was afraid I'd combust in my... Oh wait! I wasn't wearing anything of mine! I was wearing just his robe on my skin.

I broke the kiss, breathing as hard as he was. "Eric, I have this fantasy of mine. Will you let me make it come true with you?" I asked him while I bit my lower lip.

His eyes widened and a wicked grin soon followed. "I will be more than willing to be of any assistance to you, lover. After all, you made most of mine come true in less than a week so it's only fair I reciprocate. What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing much. I will be doing most of the work." I said, blushing.

"Oh, lord! You are blushing. I love it and I can't get enough of it! Which reminds me the last time you did it, about two hours ago when I told you we were going to go horse-back riding at night... _naked_. God! Just thinking about it makes me want to ravish you again. But I will be a good boy and let you tell me about your fantasy, cowgirl. I am all ears. But after having heard your last sentence, I know I'm hooked," he said, winking at me and placing a kiss on the tip of my nose.

"I don't want to talk or tell you about it. I just want to _do_ it. I am sure things will take their course while I'm doing it to you. But even though I will be doing most of the work, you're supposed to be an active partner. A very active partner, okay?" I told him, winking and smiling at his expectant expression.

"More than okay. Get to it before I lose my composure and fuck you senseless a _third_ time tonight!" he urged me on, swatting my butt.

"Oh! You will fuck me a_ third_ time tonight, _if_ you are up to the ride coming your way!" I told him brazenly, eliciting a growl from him.

I guided him to the nearest wall inside his cabin and told him to stand there. I walked to where my clothes were and took my scarf out of my back jeans pocket. I walked back to him and tied first one hand, then the other in front of his very naked, very aroused body, making sure I left enough space between one hand and the other. I _hand-scarfed _him since I didn't have any handcuffs. He quirked his eyebrow slightly, but didn't say a word.

I took a step back, loosened the tie in the robe slowly, exposing my body to him. Teasing him, I closed my eyes and put two fingers in my mouth. I sucked them, then licked them as I took them out. With my eyes still closed, I let those two fingers travel down my body until they were buried in my pussy. I moaned and he let out a deep groan.

Opening my eyes, I held his gaze and got closer to him. I lifted his arms and placed them over my head and down around my body, locking myself in him. I kissed him and bringing my hands back on top of his, I placed them on each of my butt cheeks. He squeezed them and immediately knew what I wanted.

I kissed him harder, twining my hands in his hair and he lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around him and intensified the kiss while he started grinding against me. He spun us around and pressed my back against the wall, lifting me up a bit further. He placed the tip of his cock in my wet throbbing opening and let gravity do the rest. My body fused with his and he began to thrust into me, slowly at first and then increasing his pace.

"Is your fantasy... coming out... exactly how you... expected it?" he asked in between thrusts.

I smiled, panting, "Better. But it isn't over yet. Take us to the reclining chair." My heart hammered in my chest as he stopped thrusting, and never sliding out of me, he did as I requested. He sat in the chair with me straddling his lap, the look in his steel blue eyes intense and dark with lust and care.

"Ride me, cowgirl! I'm yours." The seductive tone of his words made a shiver pass through me.

I started to speak but my words turned to a gasp of pure pleasure when Eric moved and I felt him deeper within me. Rocking my hips as he withdrew and thrust back in, I bit my lower lip before panting out, "Help me ride you. Make me yours."

As I started to ride him, he raised one eyebrow, his expression cocky and self-assured. "You're already mine, lover." I couldn't answer as he thrust even deeper, taking my heart rate higher. I closed my eyes in sheer sexual bliss.

I rode him hard. When he sucked my nipple into his mouth, I arched my back and moaned, reveling in the sensation of completeness I felt with his hard cock buried deep inside me. The surety that he wanted me as much as I wanted him was overpowering. God, I wanted him, needed him, _loved _him with all my heart!

Eric used his teeth, his lips, his tongue, his cock in perfect tandem to drive me to the edge. As my stomach tensed in anticipation, I grabbed his head and held him close, bucking against him, panting as my release was about to happen.

"Eric, more... harder!" I begged between rapid breaths as my sex throbbed and my thighs began to tremble from the physical delay of my climax.

His sapphire gaze met mine, deep unfathomable emotions churning behind them. "No others, Sookie. Only me," he ground out as he thrust harder, faster. I knew what he meant. He was committing as much as he could emotionally. And I'd take what I could. My muscles contracted around his cock, but he suddenly stopped. I whimpered, complaining.

With a determined expression, he looked me straight in the eye and began moving again at a slow pace. "Tell me," he demanded, his tone sounding harsh, ragged.

I tried to move faster on top of him while I brought his lips close to mine. "You tell me first," I insisted.

He grabbed my butt cheeks and started thrusting faster and harder again. "There are no others for me," he panted, brushing his lips into mine.

My heart pounded at his statement. Our orgasms hit us simultaneously and I whispered in his ear, "No others for me either, cowboy."

I meant every single word. I knew this was our goodbye. I was leaving the next morning. I had the best week of my life and learned all I could about a cowboy way of life. And ride I did – horses, mechanical bulls and Eric. I was in love with the ranch. I was in love with the animals. I was in love with Eric. And I knew he was in love with me as well. I just felt it!

Tara and Amelia had found love too. JB was even thinking about moving to Louisiana in a couple of months so he and Tara could be together. Amelia and Tray just couldn't take their hands off each other. And when she showed me the engagement ring he'd bought her, I knew I was going to lose my roommate.

The healing and teaching ranch had become the _loving_ ranch. I would never regret the time I spent on it, for my healing heart learned with all the teachings and it was loving again – only like never before and like it never would again.

O~o~**E**~o~O

No. Of course, I didn't let her go. I was no idiot! I asked her to stay with me. I asked her to marry me. I loved her. I truly loved her. And she loved me back. We were meant to be together and together we would stay until the end of our days.

Looking at her little sleeping form cuddled into me, I still couldn't believe my luck. I was truly the happiest, luckiest cowboy alive. I was having the best time of my life. I had found the right woman for me, the perfect cowgirl for my cowboy. Snuggling into her, breathing her intoxicating scent, I fell asleep muttering to myself.

"Yes, this is _best_. This is _right_. _Perfect_."

O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~**T**~**h**~**e**~o~**L**~**o**~**v**~**i**~**n**~**g**~o~**R**~**a**~**n**~**c**~**h**~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O

**A/N ~** Oh, I so want me a cowboy like that. ***sighs***

How about you?** *winks***

Please, if anyone of you owns or knows a ranch as near as good as this one, do tell me about it!** *smiles***

Check my profile to see the links to the two **movies** I mentioned in this story.

**As always, I can't wait to hear your thoughts and ride the wave of pleasure your words bring me. Be so kind and send them my way, my dears! Thank you.**


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